A Stream of Consciousness by Andy Aplikowski on His Life, His Politics, His Dogs, His Truck, and for other things

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McFadden for US Senate

I have been looking at the field of candidates for US Senate and decided to throw my support to Mike McFadden. I believe he gives us the best chance to defeat Al Franken.

US Senate races are not the same as Governor and Republican activists need to learn from past mistakes. You need someone who can reach out to a broad array of people and earn their trust and support. You have to not only attract the hard working activists, but you also have to be able to reach outside of Minnesota for the all important fundraising needed to run an expensive statewide campaign. McFadden’s impressive fundraising totals prove he can do that.

I’ve heard a few people I respect in Republican circles are eliminating McFadden from their list of who they will endorse because he won’t pledge to abide, and while I think that is important, they are eliminating the only person who can actually beat Franken.

Two or three other candidates in the US Senate race have pledged to abide and it does play oh so well with Delegates, but of those 3, only one, Chris Dahlberg, has released his fundraising numbers for 2013 ($103,00) and its barely enough to make it to the convention let alone beyond.

Sen. Ortman and Rep. Abeler have refused to release their fundraising totals publicly so Republican Precinct attendees can’t see how well or poorly they did. I am guessing Sen. Ortman’s decision to announce she will abide last week was an attempt to distract people away from how she is hiding what is likely – her dismal fundraising. The FEC reports will not be publicly available until February 15th, after the Precinct Caucus straw poll.

Mike McFadden has raised $1.7 million so far in his campaign. Our previous candidate didn’t come close to that in his entire campaign.

Friends and fellow Republicans, running effective US Senate races are 3 or 4 times more expensive then races for Governor. The media in Minnesota doesn’t report on what our left leaning and Progressive voting US Senators and Congressmen really do in Washington. They color the coverage to paint a rosy picture of the socialism that is plaguing this nation to aid the Democrats. We need a candidate with a campaign that can literally spread the word across the state through the airwaves and mailers. Its also going to take a huge staff and all these things require a lot of money.

Anyone who actually thinks that the eventual candidate will be able to raise $10,000,000 after the endorsement or Primary is bound to repeat the same mistakes we’ve done in election cycles before.

The McFadden campaign isn’t ignoring the endorsement like some of the Governor candidates are. He is trying to win the endorsement unlike them. But for Republicans to pose a serious threat to Al Franken, they have to be looking past May 31st.

I would not be supporting McFadden if he didn’t take the endorsement seriously.

I know some will be pointing out how I am supporting a Governor candidate who is pledging to abide (Dave Thompson), and that I am also pushing the importance of avoiding a bloody primary in the CD6 race. All I can tell you is that my decade plus involvement has shown me the complexities and importance of US Senate races. So much at stake, so much national influence, and so few chances to get it right. And when Minnesota gets it wrong, bad things happen. We can’t screw this up again.

Folks, I want Mike McFadden to win the endorsement. He is the best candidate on paper and by fundraising reports. He has the least baggage or voting record history that could alienate one portion of our base or the general voting public. He’s built a great campaign team and he is being honest.

McFadden is a great conservative candidate. He has a great life story, business experience, and the oh so critical fundraising prowess. I am not supporting McFadden simply because he can raise money, I am supporting him because he will do a great job representing me as a conservative Republican, and he has proven that he has what it takes to run a race that will defeat Al Franken.

"John McClane: You know what you get for being a hero? Nothin'. You get shot at. You get a little pat on the back, blah, blah, blah, attaboy. You get divorced. Your wife can't remember your last name. Your kids don't want to talk to you. You get to eat a lot of meals by yourself. Trust me, kid, nobody wants to be that guy. Matt Farrell: Then why you doing this? John McClane: Because there's no body else to do it right now, that's why. Believe me, if there were somebody else to do it, I'd let them do it, but there's not. So we're doing it. Matt Farrell: Ah. That's what makes you that guy. "

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"The era of small government is over ... government has to be more proactive, more aggressive." ( Tim Pawlenty2006)

"You're just petty politicians, who'd sooner sign onto the wisdom of a tyrant in another country, than the demands of ticked off voters in your own." (Neil CavutoJune 2008)

“I didn’t question her patriotism. I questioned her judgment.”
Mr. Cheney went on: “The point I made and I’ll make it again is that Al Qaeda functions on the basis that they think they can break our will. That’s their fundamental underlying strategy, that if they can kill enough Americans or cause enough havoc, create enough chaos in Iraq, then we’ll quit and go home. And my statement was that if we adopt the Pelosi policy, that then we will validate the strategy of Al Qaeda. I said it, and I meant it.”
(Vice President Cheney NYT Feb. 2007)

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"Oh, no! First of all, if I took one vote away from a serious candidate, it would be a sin." (Al Franken Time Magazine, 9/1/03)